Monday, April 09, 2007

"$5 in Paris" Top-down Raglan (KUAS Original Pattern)

Have you ever just wanted to make a quick and inexpensive
raglan tee that is fluffy-soft without breaking the bank? Well say
"bonjour!" and dig those needles and Caron Simply Soft yarns out from
your stash and you'll be finished before you can mutter, "Je l'adore!"

-Two
32'' circular needles: Size US9--one is
extra for trying on the work-in-progress
-A set of 4 dpn's: Size US8 -Optional: also size 7 US dpns *I
recommend you investing in Knitpick's Options Needle Set, so that you can also
use the wires as stitch holders. If you have this already, you can use the 24''
as stitch holders.

Kf&b= Knit into the front and back of that
stitch. (This is done on the stitches before and after a place marker.) DPN's=double
pointed needlesK=
knit P=purl
St(s)=
stitch(es) RD(S)=round(s)
PM=place
marker M=marker MC=grey
CC=pale
green K2tog= knit 2 sts together SSK=slide,
slide and knit those together. M1=make 1 stitch (an increase)

Are you a newbie to top-down raglans?? This is a great first-time
sweater project! It's just a sweater that is worked top-down in Stockinette Stitch on circular needles, which allows for a lot of
modifications for size or adding intarsia, cabling or whatever you'd like if you
feel up to the challenge one day! The best news? It's seamless!!

About
the pattern: I first created this pattern in 2007 as a Craftster
challenge to create something under $10. I created something around $5. Because of the boat-neck and
striping, this top-down raglan reminded me of Paris. After the contest, I decided to share it for free in hopes that beginning knitters wouldn't be scared away from knitting a sweater. Since then, I have added notes
for side-shaping, although it was not in the original design and updated the pattern to be even more user-friendly.

It's
almost hard to believe, but as of December 2013, almost 1,800 "$5 in
Paris" projects have been casted-on and/or completed since it's conception.
And that's only counting Ravelry members. Now it's being featured on
several free knitting sites, as well as Craftster and Ravelry.

Likewise,
the Craftster.org thread for the KAL "the Beginner Top-Down Ralgan" ("$5 in Paris")
has been viewed almost 165,000 times, leaving it on the first page in
the knit-along community on Craftster since 2007.